The invention relates to a holder for a semiconductor substrate, often referred to as substrate hereinafter for short, comprising a main body which is provided with three or more projections between which the substrate can be fixed in the holder and of which at least a first and a second projection are fixedly connected to the main body, while a third projection which is present opposite the first and the second projection is movably connected to the holder and can be moved in a direction away from the first and the second projection, while the holder is provided with means by which the third projection is urged towards the first and the second projection. The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device in which such a holder is used.
Such a holder, fitted with a substrate which is usually round, is used for providing the surface of this substrate with a (semi)conducting or insulating region or for removing such a region. To achieve this, the holder is usually placed in a device in which gases or liquids are present by means of which the above operation can be carried out. The holder may also form part of said device.
Such a holder is known from a U.S. patent document published under U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,676 on Nov. 20, 1990. The holder shown in FIG. 1 thereof comprises a main body in the form of a flat carrier plate which is provided with four projections arranged in a circle by means of which the substrate can be fixed in the holder. Three of the projections each comprise a cylinder segment which lies in a different quadrant of the carrier plate each time and whose upper side is covered with a plate in the form of a circle sector which extends over the substrate to be inserted and over the carrier plate. A fourth projection is present in a fourth quadrant, has the shape of a cylinder, and is capable of movement in a direction away from the other projections and is urged towards the fixed projections - and thus towards the substrate to be inserted - by means of a spring. The fourth projection can be recessed into the carrier plate, so that the substrate can be passed over the carrier plate to below the other three projections.
It is a disadvantage of the known holder that it covers part of the substrate. As a result of this, the substrate is not exposed in its entirety to the materials with which the surface of the substrate is treated during a processing operation on the substrate. Moreover, the known holder is comparatively expensive owing to its complexity.